Peter Kay panics US Netflix bosses after they feared his ad-libbed English phrase in Wallace and Gromit Christmas particular was offensive

Peter Kay caused concern among US Netflix bosses after he ad-libbed an English idiom in the Wallace and Gromit Christmas special that went completely over their heads.

Making a big comeback for the animated duo, Vengeance Most Fowl premiered on Christmas Day on BBC One, marking the comedian’s first TV role in four years.

And employing his usual comedic talents and charm, Peter, 51, couldn’t resist improvising some of his lines as Chief Inspector Mackintosh.

The special saw the return of Wallace and Gromit’s arch-nemesis Feathers McGraw – 16 years after their previous adventure together.

And after it was watched by a whopping 9million in the UK on Christmas Day, it will be streamed for all the world on Netflix from next week.

But executives for the streamer were reportedly left scratching their heads over one of Peter’s ad-libbed lines and worried the well-known English phrase was offensive.

The idiom, ‘flippin’ Nora’ is commonly used in the North as as an expression of surprise or dismay.

Chief Inspector Mackintosh’s cries out the words after the criminal penguin Feathers successfully escapes prison.

But according to The Sun, Netflix were baffled by it, with Wallace and Gromit creator Nick Park telling the publication: ‘Peter ad-libs quite a lot.

‘At one point he’s astonished at something and shouts “flippin Nora”. One day we did get a note back to ask “Who is Nora and why is she being flipped?”‘

While creative director Merlin Crossingham explained they rushed to explain to the execs that it was entirely ‘innocent’.

He said: ‘[We had to explain to them that] it’s not rude, it’s not an expletive, it’s an innocent turn of phrase.’

It comes after Nick revealed he had to beg Peter to come out of TV retirement and appear in the Christmas special.

Speaking at the London premiere ahead of the film’s festive release, he revealed how he convinced Peter to get involved again, after previously starring in 2005’s The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.

Nick explained: ‘I actually wrote to him, I wrote a letter to him. It was just to try and talk him into doing this again, you know, because of how wonderful he was in Curse of the Were-Rabbit.

‘We told him that we’d expanded his character more in this one, he’s got a bigger role in this one.

‘‘He was just about to begin his giant tour which we didn’t know at the time so he did it while doing that, in between gigs.’

Elaborating on Inspector Mackintosh, the creator added: ‘This was a great opportunity for us to really explore the character, find the comedy of his exasperation, and his rather misplaced old-fashioned views on how policing should go down.

‘So it was just really nice to expand the character with Peter, and make it a bit more rounded.’

Speaking to MailOnline at the event, Merlin revealed that the comedian and actor also ‘did some ad-libs and some of those did make it in.’

He gushed: ‘He has a nice turn of phrase, and we really leant into that, his ability to make it more than just what is written. Peter is especially good at it.’

The highly-anticipated feature-length film saw Gromit’s growing concern as Wallace becomes over-dependent on his inventions – which proves justified when Wallace creates a ‘smart gnome’ that seems to develop an evil mind of its own.

As events begin to spiral out of control, it’s up to Gromit to put aside his qualms and battle sinister forces, or Wallace may never be able to invent again.

But who could possibly be behind such evil actions?! Rightfully behind bars for all this time, Feathers McGraw is back with vengeance.  

The villain was last seen in 1993’s Bafta and Academy Award-winning short The Wrong Trousers.

The voice cast also featured the return of Ben Whitehead as Wallace, the eccentric, cheese-loving inventor from the North of England who lives with his best friend and loyal pooch, Gromit.

He stars along with new cast members Lauren Patel and Reece Shearsmith, along with cameos from Diane Morgan, Adjoa Andoh, and Lenny Henry.

Fans were delighted in 2022 when it was announced that Wallace and Gromit will be back for a Christmas 2024 feature film, over a decade after their last special, A Matter Of Loaf And Death.

Nick said: ‘I’d had the idea of a film about garden gnomes turning bad for more than a decade, but I could never work out what made them bad.

‘It occurred to me that the single most asked question I get when I meet fans is, will the penguin Feathers McGraw, Wallace and Gromit’s original antagonist from The Wrong Trousers 30 years ago, ever return?

‘We’ve had fun bringing him back in cameo capacities but now, three decades on, it felt like the right time. Then it hit me: What if Feathers was involved with these gnomes?

‘We’re hoping that this film will appeal to fans of ‘Gnome Noir’ everywhere and that people will be gratified when they see what Feathers has been up to since The Wrong Trousers.’

Co-director Merlin added: ‘While we love to revive enthusiasm across our existing fan base, we also want this film to reach people who have never come across Wallace and Gromit before.’